What do you think?
Rate this book
Hopefully Unconditional
Two hesitant hearts. One redefining love.
Dr. Ezekiel Thompson learned a lot from his parents about that it’s cruel, unforgiving, and must be earned. And he’s spent his whole life being exactly who they want him to be, sacrificing pieces of himself along the way. Will finishing his neurology residency be the final push he needs to gain their ever-elusive affection, or will Hendrix, his new colleague who challenges everything he thought he knew about love, upend the life his parents planned for him—including the girlfriend they handpicked?
Dr. Hendrix Ingram-Jones knows love is kind, it’s freely given, and unconditional. He’s waited diligently to find the person who’ll love him as fiercely as he’ll love them. But after a series of heartbreak and tears, he questions if he’ll ever find his Mr. Right. Close to giving up on love altogether after his last relationship, he meets Zeke, coworker turned best friend. And he’s exactly what he’s looking for—if not for his girlfriend. Battling with his reality, Hendrix considers risking it all by confessing how he truly feels.
Hopefully Unconditional is a spicy MM contemporary romance with emotional hurt/comfort, found family, friends to lovers, gay awakening, a physician who thinks he’s unlovable, and a medical speech-language pathologist desperate to prove him wrong. It’s Book 1 of the Hopefully Series, but can be read as a standalone.
Dr. Ezekiel Thompson learned a lot from his parents about that it’s cruel, unforgiving, and must be earned. And he’s spent his whole life being exactly who they want him to be, sacrificing pieces of himself along the way. Will finishing his neurology residency be the final push he needs to gain their ever-elusive affection, or will Hendrix, his new colleague who challenges everything he thought he knew about love, upend the life his parents planned for him—including the girlfriend they handpicked?
Dr. Hendrix Ingram-Jones knows love is kind, it’s freely given, and unconditional. He’s waited diligently to find the person who’ll love him as fiercely as he’ll love them. But after a series of heartbreak and tears, he questions if he’ll ever find his Mr. Right. Close to giving up on love altogether after his last relationship, he meets Zeke, coworker turned best friend. And he’s exactly what he’s looking for—if not for his girlfriend. Battling with his reality, Hendrix considers risking it all by confessing how he truly feels.
Hopefully Unconditional is a spicy MM contemporary romance with emotional hurt/comfort, found family, friends to lovers, gay awakening, a physician who thinks he’s unlovable, and a medical speech-language pathologist desperate to prove him wrong. It’s Book 1 of the Hopefully Series, but can be read as a standalone.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 8, 2025
13 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 3, 2025
This book was so damn good! These are the words that I’ve said out loud every time I have thought about Hopefully Unconditional today. By today, I mean since 3:45 this morning when I finished reading this book! I saw the book on Book Sirens, and based on the cover alone, I knew I wanted to read it. I requested it, and three days later, here we are. This was my first time reading a Taz Ansley book, and it definitely will not be the last! The characters that you were supposed to love, I loved, and the ones that you were supposed to hate, I hated with a passion. This is a story that I’ve seen time and time again in the real world, so I loved how relatable the story is while still managing to be so cute, cozy, and spicy! If you love found family, friends to lovers, and emotional stories about gay awakening, then I really think that you will enjoy this book just as much as I did – I ate this book up in 3 days! I won’t say that I’m surprised at how good this book was, to me, because I didn’t really have any expectations. It was everything I didn’t know I needed and then some.
September 19, 2025
First I would like to thank BookSirens and the author Taz Ansley for the advanced copy of this book. I can't hold back, I absolutely loved this book and will be making sure to recommend it to every single person who ever asks me for a book rec. Zeke and Hendrix are the book boyfriends we deserve.
I loved that this was what I think true friends to lovers should be, both of them pining so much, but caring too much about the other to ruin the friendship (alexa play Demi Lovato Ruin The Friendship). I was ready for them to jump right in Tasha be damned haha, but i'm so happy with how everything turned out.
It was so absolutely heartwarming seeing black men being able to be soft and affectionate with a friend first and foremost, them becoming something more later felt like such a joy because they'd built such a good foundation.
The strict religious parents and friends were like ghouls waiting around every corner and In the beginning I was so nervous that they would put a damper on the story for me, but as the story went on Zeke navigating that relationship, while still turbulent, got so much better.
I'm always looking for a book where I can see myself and feel seen. The characters in this story made me feel that and more. I read this book with happy tears in my eyes almost the entire time.
Finally the spice, we really went from rated G to SPICYYYY 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. It didn't overshadow the story and it fit perfectly for me.
This is absolutely one of my favorite books of 2025 and I will be one that i'll return to often as a comfort read. I cannot wait to read more from Taz.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I loved that this was what I think true friends to lovers should be, both of them pining so much, but caring too much about the other to ruin the friendship (alexa play Demi Lovato Ruin The Friendship). I was ready for them to jump right in Tasha be damned haha, but i'm so happy with how everything turned out.
It was so absolutely heartwarming seeing black men being able to be soft and affectionate with a friend first and foremost, them becoming something more later felt like such a joy because they'd built such a good foundation.
The strict religious parents and friends were like ghouls waiting around every corner and In the beginning I was so nervous that they would put a damper on the story for me, but as the story went on Zeke navigating that relationship, while still turbulent, got so much better.
I'm always looking for a book where I can see myself and feel seen. The characters in this story made me feel that and more. I read this book with happy tears in my eyes almost the entire time.
Finally the spice, we really went from rated G to SPICYYYY 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️. It didn't overshadow the story and it fit perfectly for me.
This is absolutely one of my favorite books of 2025 and I will be one that i'll return to often as a comfort read. I cannot wait to read more from Taz.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
August 21, 2025
Five stars is not enough stars for this book. I have read 290 books this year and this is without a doubt my number one book of the year. I absolutely love the way that every single character is written. I either love them or I hate them. This author inspires such strong feelings. I mean it quite literally when I say that I laughed and I cried, multiple times, reading this book. I love Zeke and Hendrix. They are delightful individually and together they are disgustingly cute. I absolutely hate Zeke’s parents. They are the first characters I have ever read that are not criminals but I feel have zero possibility of redemption. Add so many points during the book. I just want to wrap Zeke up in a blanket and hug him. So many of the side characters are also incredibly well developed and incredibly delightful people who just adds so much to the story. If you have ever felt like no matter what you do, you will never be enough for your parents. This is the story for you. If you’ve ever felt that being queer is just one more strike against you in the eyes of your family this is the book for you. I wish that I couldn’t forget all about this book so that I could read it again for the first time.
August 23, 2025
This was really good. Much better than I expected, mainly because it hits close to home in many aspects, and I thought it would be either triggering or treated badly, but I was wrong on both accounts. This is a beautiful love story. Not only romantic love, but family love, friendly love, self-love. Zeke’s journey to find all those loves is beautiful, makes absolute sense, and there doesn’t seem to have anything extra or repetitive. It’s a very refreshing story, lovely, and healing as well. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved how Zeke could be vulnerable with different people (like Hex and Fifi) but also stand his ground when needed. His growth is amazing, and well explained, without being bogged down by too many details or unnecessary angst. I really enjoyed it, and I look forward to reading more from this author.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
October 23, 2025
A love like this
This was heartbreaking and deeply romantic and I loved every minute of it. The tension, the friendship, the flirting, the awful parents, the self discovery. The way was Zeke was so soft and in need of love and support but would become a dog over Hendrix. Sexual awakening stories are so beautiful because it’s always a story about claiming something lost or that others tried to steal and it just resonates so deeply if you’ve ever lost yourself to someone or something. The dynamic was beautiful it was masculinity that didn’t shy from vulnerability, it was love that offered understanding, it was protective and affirming. The characters were amazing. This is written in 3rd person which I know is disliked by a lot of readers and while I personally enjoy it, it was jarring at the beginning but once the dialogue increased it flowed better. The pace was wonderful. This was everything I hoped it would be and an amazing debut.
This was heartbreaking and deeply romantic and I loved every minute of it. The tension, the friendship, the flirting, the awful parents, the self discovery. The way was Zeke was so soft and in need of love and support but would become a dog over Hendrix. Sexual awakening stories are so beautiful because it’s always a story about claiming something lost or that others tried to steal and it just resonates so deeply if you’ve ever lost yourself to someone or something. The dynamic was beautiful it was masculinity that didn’t shy from vulnerability, it was love that offered understanding, it was protective and affirming. The characters were amazing. This is written in 3rd person which I know is disliked by a lot of readers and while I personally enjoy it, it was jarring at the beginning but once the dialogue increased it flowed better. The pace was wonderful. This was everything I hoped it would be and an amazing debut.
September 4, 2025
ARC Review
Where do I even start? This is the author’s debut, and she absolutely blew it out of the freaking park. Angel and Bunny (Zeek and Hendrix) have officially been added to my list of all-time favorite book boyfriends.
I adored every moment of this book. Zeek’s emotional journey completely drew me in. He’s grappling with his identity, dealing with pressure from an overbearing family, and being pushed toward someone he doesn’t love. Watching him grow from a quiet, people-pleasing guy into someone confident, self-assured, and sexy was so satisfying. His character development was beautifully done.
And Hendrix? Literal perfection. Confident, emotionally grounded, endlessly supportive... honestly, what more could you want in a partner? He was exactly who Zeek needed, and their connection felt real, healthy, and full of love.
Even though Zeek and his sister Eden lost their parents’ love because of their sexuality and family expectations, they found something even better a true chosen family in the Hendrix clan. That part was so heartwarming and gave the story even more depth.
Oh, and let’s not forget the spicy scenes. 🌶️ Absolutely delicious. Taz Ansley, I am now a fan for life. I cannot wait to see what you write next!
Where do I even start? This is the author’s debut, and she absolutely blew it out of the freaking park. Angel and Bunny (Zeek and Hendrix) have officially been added to my list of all-time favorite book boyfriends.
I adored every moment of this book. Zeek’s emotional journey completely drew me in. He’s grappling with his identity, dealing with pressure from an overbearing family, and being pushed toward someone he doesn’t love. Watching him grow from a quiet, people-pleasing guy into someone confident, self-assured, and sexy was so satisfying. His character development was beautifully done.
And Hendrix? Literal perfection. Confident, emotionally grounded, endlessly supportive... honestly, what more could you want in a partner? He was exactly who Zeek needed, and their connection felt real, healthy, and full of love.
Even though Zeek and his sister Eden lost their parents’ love because of their sexuality and family expectations, they found something even better a true chosen family in the Hendrix clan. That part was so heartwarming and gave the story even more depth.
Oh, and let’s not forget the spicy scenes. 🌶️ Absolutely delicious. Taz Ansley, I am now a fan for life. I cannot wait to see what you write next!
August 23, 2025
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Oh my goodness! Do I love Hendrix and Ezekiel? Absolutely! These men and their emotional intelligence give me hope! Watching the evolution of this love story was wrapped up on my favorite trope- friends to lovers.
I enjoyed this book so much. It's definitely going on my top 10 list for the year. I loved reading the care that these men showed for each other and those around them.
Watching the friendship bloom, the self-awakening/discovery - the shift from friends to lovers shows the care that the author took to write this story.
Honestly, I have no notes-except I wish there was some actual punches thrown (And if you my list of top three people that deserve a punch in the face, let me know.)
Amazing book!
Oh my goodness! Do I love Hendrix and Ezekiel? Absolutely! These men and their emotional intelligence give me hope! Watching the evolution of this love story was wrapped up on my favorite trope- friends to lovers.
I enjoyed this book so much. It's definitely going on my top 10 list for the year. I loved reading the care that these men showed for each other and those around them.
Watching the friendship bloom, the self-awakening/discovery - the shift from friends to lovers shows the care that the author took to write this story.
Honestly, I have no notes-except I wish there was some actual punches thrown (And if you my list of top three people that deserve a punch in the face, let me know.)
Amazing book!
November 29, 2025
This was such a sweet read.
Zeke has to deal with extremely overbearing parents who want total control over his life, all while navigating his attraction to his new friend Hendrix. Along the journey, they soon fall in love with each other, and Hendrix helps Zeke shake the hold his parents have on him and learn to embrace his sexuality.
If you liked Jasmine Guillory's Flirting Lessons, you'll love Hopefully Unconditional.
Zeke has to deal with extremely overbearing parents who want total control over his life, all while navigating his attraction to his new friend Hendrix. Along the journey, they soon fall in love with each other, and Hendrix helps Zeke shake the hold his parents have on him and learn to embrace his sexuality.
If you liked Jasmine Guillory's Flirting Lessons, you'll love Hopefully Unconditional.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 11, 2025
Such a Cozy Read
Not only is the cover beautiful, but the story itself was just as stunning. Watching Zeke learn that he’s worthy of unconditional love was everything. Hendrix was such a bright light in Zeke’s world. I could reread this a million times and fall more in love with it every single time.
Not only is the cover beautiful, but the story itself was just as stunning. Watching Zeke learn that he’s worthy of unconditional love was everything. Hendrix was such a bright light in Zeke’s world. I could reread this a million times and fall more in love with it every single time.
December 3, 2025
♾️⭐️& that should come as a surprise to exactly no one, esp those witnessing my incessant adoration & praise on IG the last few days. This book was EVERYTHING.
Zeke & Hen for LIFE.
FRTC
Zeke & Hen for LIFE.
FRTC
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews